Have you ever seen a more lackluster, exhausted, spiritless kickoff to a presidential campaign?
He really sounds as though he's thrilled to be back in the Palmetto State, no?
If Trump is to have any chance at the GOP nomination, that chance will be left up to still-potential competitors. He can win only by waddling amidst a sea of primary candidates, pulling out bare plurality wins because of the severely fractured vote.
Which is the way he won in 2016. Most primiary-voting Republicans voted for someone other than Donald J. Trump.
So far, his competitors seem determined to help him on his way to the nomination. They include Ron DeSantis, Glenn Youngkin, Nikki Haley, Mike Pence, Tim Scott, Mike Pompeo, Larry Hogan, Chrises Christie and Sununu, Ted Cruz and Kristi Noem. Yet others are likely pile into the fray as well.
Only one of them has the muscle to beat Trump — DeSantis. The rest of the gang is hopeless; each would be better off if he or she simply lobbied the Florida governor for the veep slot, which is where one of them will land anyway, should DeSantis gain the nomination. (Trump's probable sidekick would be the indefatigably gibbering Kari Lake.)
But party discipline is history. There was a time when both major parties selected their preferred presidential candidate — all others were unwelcome. Today, each pol is a power base unto himself, with his own fundraising operation, his own media consultants and pollsters, his own surrogates and a gaggle of flatterers whispering sweet presidential nothings into his ear.
The most entertaining of the lot is the evangelical pol who assures his audiences that God shall take him to the White House. Remember Mike Huckabee? Pat Robertson? Does God even remember them? Not once did I hear their post-primary reasons for the Creator's seeming disinterest in their candidacy.
At any rate, the silliest of seasons is upon us. Enjoy this one. Because if Donald Trump or Ron DeSantis wins the White House, this may be the last presidential campaign we ever see.